Another Christmas Story and a Prayer

Here we are at Christmas time, and the story of the Christ child's birth and this terrible massacre of such very young children and adults at the Sandy Hook Elementary School.

We celebrate Jesus' birth, but we rarely recall the terrible massacre afterward.

(Matthew 2:11-18, NIV)

¹¹ On coming to the house, they (the Magi) saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. ¹² And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

¹³ When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream.“Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”

¹⁴ So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, ¹⁵ where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

¹⁶ When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. ¹⁷ Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:

18 

“A voice is heard in Ramah,
    weeping and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children
    and refusing to be comforted,
    because they are no more.”

Dear Jesus, 

We come before you weeping for these precious children and teachers who are no more. We weep with their fathers, mothers, siblings, grandparents, friends, and loved ones. You who are our Comforter in sorrow, their hearts are faint within them, and so are ours. These families cry out in their grief, mourning their loved ones who were murdered. 

That’s why they are sobbing. Tears are flowing from their eyes. Not one of us is near enough to comfort these who have lost their loved ones. No human can heal these families. Their children are gone. Their enemies were much too strong for them. Jesus, just as you asked the Father, I too  ask that you will give these families and friends the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, and Standby), that He may remain with them each moment, each hour, each day, and forevermore. So be it Lord, Amen. 

(Jeremiah 8:18, NIV; Lamentations 1:16, NIRV; (John 14:16, AMP all paraphrased)

Joseph Lost His Head 10 Days Before Christmas

Friday, I went to school and helped Sadie build a Polar Express train out of candy. I think she (we) ate as much as we used. The cafeteria was filled with parents helping their first and second graders make the train. That is what I love about the school and that is the great teachers and parent involvement and the special events. 

Sadie built her own train and winter scene, but the dad next to us made his daughter's train and ate candy while she watched. He was so delighted and oblivious that his daughter should be making the train I couldn't help but chuckle. 

---

Thanks to my royalty check, I bought Sadie a new velveteen purple, her favorite color, dress with sparkly ruffles at Walmart for her Sunday duet at church and singing with the children's choir for the congregation. I made a lavender ribbon rose and sewed it onto the bow at the hipline and made her a matching ribbon barrette. 

Friday was also the last day of school, and our grand girls, Sierra, 10; Sadie, 8; and Delaney, 7, were revved up and ready to rocket  off to Christmas. I had the girls draw names for a gift exchange, and then I took them to the dollar store to pick out five things. They haggled and changed their minds about what to buy. Delaney picked out pretty nail polish for Sadie, who promptly told her she didn't want polish. Delaney was crushed, and I lectured Sadie about her need to be kind and appreciate what Delaney had picked out. 

I had just heard a radio DJ talking about Christmas and re-gifting who said that in a study it was discovered it was not the "thought" that counted but rather the "gift" counted the most, so I suggested to Delaney that she pick something else out for Sadie.  

At home, the girls spread a flurry of paper across the floor. Arguments arose over scotch tape and scissor usage. After all the gifts were wrapped and snug in their Christmas stockings, the grand girls began begging to open just one present. Wide-eyed and beggar mouthed, they plagued me with their pleas. 

Waiting to open gifts is so hard. I remember that I felt the same way as a child, and it was not easy, but I didn't give in to the girls pleas and put the gifts out of sight. 

As they were flailing and jumping around throwing a ball it hit Joseph, an irreplaceable ceramic figurine, my mother had made as part of a nativity set for me years ago. His head broke off; it was a clean break. Sadie, her face hung low, as she held out the two pieces of Joseph in her hands. 

I took the pieces and laid them on my desk and pulled her up onto my lap and told her I wasn't mad at her. She was relieved and so was I, because I knew she felt bad enough and did not need to be in any more trouble than she already had been that day. 

Joseph, the figurine, was not important I was reminded that very afternoon when I heard about the massacre of 20 children in Connecticut. 

Our children are more precious than irreplacable things because they cannot be replaced. 

"How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings" (Psalm 36:7, ESV).

12 Days Before Christmas

It's  Thursday, and it is 12 days before Christmas. 

$8.71 in the bank. About $2 in change. 

Out of food basics: cereal, eggs, fruit, milk, and more. 

Barely a 1/4 of a tank of gas in the car. 

I promised our granddaughter Sadie a pretty Christmas dress for Sunday—3 days away. Sadie is singing  a two-line duet for the Christmas program with the children's choir. 

I need to have my hair cut and get a permanent, so I can have a professional picture taken for promoting my soon to be released book, A Woman's Heart for God: Drawing Closer to the Lover of Your Soul. 

I check to see how much both will cost: $115.00.

Our property  taxes are 3 days overdue, $1,432.53 plus penalties. 

Our kitchen sink needs to be repaired. How much will that cost?

Six days until we get our Social Security check. 

I can't imagine where the money will come from, so I panic and pray earnestly. Where will we possibly get the money to buy Sadie a dress and get the basics in food to hold us over, let alone have my hair done, or pay the property taxes? Our Social Security checks won't begin to cover it all. 

I am expecting an advance for my new book, but it shouldn't come until January. 

Have you ever faced such a financial dilemma? You were greatly worried? 

"O ye of little faith." This phrase from Matthew kept playing through my mind. I'd forgotten what that chapter was about, so I looked up the passage, Matthew 6:25-34, in The New Living Translation. Here is the passage, exactly what I needed to hear, and be reminded of:

 “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? ²⁶ Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?²⁷ Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?"

²⁸ “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, ²⁹ yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. ³⁰ And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?"

³¹ “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ ³² These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. ³³ Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. ³⁴ “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today."

Ron had picked up the mail that afternoon, but he had taken a long nap. At dinner time, he comes out holding an envelope. It was my royalty check!

It would cover all of our expenses! Talk about a happy dance in my heart. We both rejoiced, happy but near tears. 

Christmas is coming! Christ was born. It is Him we celebrate.

Thine is the Glory

The Lord's prayer begins with: "Our Father in heaven,  Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."


 We begin by bowing our hearts before God and in humble submission to Him we express our respect for God's Holy name and our desire for His kingdom and for His will to be accomplished, which will be done even if we do not pray. No one can hinder the will of God; no one can stop Him from performing His sovereign will upon our earth and in our lives. 


We close in prayer by honoring God's name again. “For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen” (Matt. 6:13b kjv).


The purpose for which this earth and all its people were created, the end for which all Christians are called, and the main goal He desires we seek with all our hearts is that in all things He may be glorified.  (Ryle, Matthew,  39)


 “In all Christian prayer the overriding motivation is to glorify God and to discover his will for our lives. We glorify God by seeking to know his will, by beseeching him to disclose his will to us. We also glorify God when we seek his aid in order to accomplish his will.” (Donald G. Bloesch, The Struggle of Prayer, 71.)


Our chief purpose for praying and God answering is that He may receive all the glory and His name be praised. With one heart and mouth we are called to glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 15:6).  


Now may we offer the following Scripture prayer to our great and glorious God:

O Holy Spirit, You are God’s guarantee that You will give me the inheritance God promised and that You have purchased me to be Your own. You did this so I would praise and glorify You. Through Jesus, therefore, I will constantly and at all times offer up to You, O God, a sacrifice of praise, which is the fruit of lips that thankfully acknowledge and confess and glorify Your name. “I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving.” “I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever.”

(Ephesians 1:14  NLT, Hebrews 13:15 AMP paraphrased; Psalm 69:30 NIV, Psalm 86:12 NIV not paraphrased).

Forgive us Our Sins

Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.

 Your kingdom come.

Your will be done

 On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,

As we forgive our debtors.

“Forgive us our sins, just as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us” (Matt. 6:12 nlt). If anything hinders our prayer-life it’s our daily need to seek the Lord’s forgiveness and our own unwillingness to forgive others, both of which I struggle with in my own life.

Forgiveness is such a serious issue, Jesus commented on it immediately after He gave the Lord’s Prayer. “In prayer there is a connection between what God does and what you do. You can’t get forgiveness from God, for instance, without also forgiving others. If you refuse to do your part, you cut yourself off from God’s part.” (Matt. 6:14-15, The Message)

Our part is to forgive others, to let go of hard feelings and grudges and prejudices. We think we hide those harmful attitudes, but most people see right through us and especially those we hold things against. We have no idea how much we hurt others by our lack of acceptance. Our critical attitude hurts and offends others even when we are unaware of it.

Why is it that God won’t forgive us if we don’t forgive others? How can He forgive us if we don’t forgive those for whom Christ died and saves from sin? Our hatred—that’s what unforgivingness is—dishonors His name and prevents us from glorifying Him. We honor God by forgiving, accepting, and loving others.

And as “bread" is the first need to the body, so forgiveness is for the soul. God’s provision for the one is as sure as for the other. We are children, but we are sinners, too. We owe our right of access to the Father’s presence to the precious blood and the forgiveness it has won for us.” (Murray, With Christ in the School of Prayer,  34.)

Deliver us From Temptation

“Don’t let us yield to temptation.” (Matt. 6:13a nlt). We are vulnerable at all times to temptation; how easily we are led astray and fall.

“We ask him, who orders all things in heaven and earth, to restrain us from going into that which would injure our souls, and never to let us be tempted beyond that we can bear" (1 Corinthians 10:13). (Ryle, Matthew,  41)

I have been struggling with a rebellious attitude about doing what the Lord desires of me. I give into the temptation to do what I please rather than what pleases Him. He convicted me that if I continued  on this way, I would become more resistant to doing His will. The more I “get away” with doing what I want without consequences, the more I feel free to do as I please, the more resistant and harder my heart becomes to the Lord.

The Lord convicted me that I needed to make better use of my time, take better care of myself, and not stay up so late watching television at night. So what’s the big deal? you may think. That’s nothing! If only you knew what I’m doing wrong.

The Lord is teaching me that it is a big deal. I need to constantly battle giving into temptation and do what He desires. He commands obedience and any sacrifices I feel I am making or pleasures I’m missing are nothing in comparison to doing His will, His way.

Deliver us From the Evil One

“Deliver us from the evil one.” (Matt. 6:13b nlt). “We are here taught to ask God to deliver us from the evil that is in the world, the evil that is within our hearts, and not least from the evil one, the devil. We confess that, so long as we are in the body, we are constantly seeing, hearing and feeling the presence of evil. It is about us, and within us, and around us on every side. We entreat him who alone can preserve us, to be continually delivering us from its power . . .” (Ryle, Matthew, 41.)

Jesus cared so much that we be protected from evil, He prayed on our behalf, “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one” (John 17:15).

If we are ever going to grow in our prayer-life, we need to realize that the fight is not with ourselves, but our struggle is “against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12 nlt). They tremble when we pray, and so they fight hardest against it.

The only way we can overcome our struggles with prayer is to continually “use every piece of God’s armor to resist the enemy” (Eph. 6:13a nlt). 

I have been in situations where the presence of evil seemed so strong that in order to combat it, I prayed, He [Spirit of God] who is within me is greater than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4).  That simple prayer is powerful and I have offered it up repeatedly until the presence of evil leaves. 


These prayers also have great effect:


 1.  Jesus, deliver me from evil. 


2.  Jesus protect me from the evil one.

 3. Your name, Lord, is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.  You are my loving ally and fortress, my tower of safety and deliverer from evil. You stand before  me as a shield, and I take refuge in You (Prov. 18:10, Ps. 144:2). 

Give us Our Daily Bread In Celebration of Curt's Birthday & Mother's Day

Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.

Simple prayer is asking God to provide our basic needs. “Give us our food for today” (Matt. 6:11 nlt). “The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time”  (Ps. 145:15).

Early in our marriage, forty-nine years ago, we were truly poor. We were living in Oregon and expecting Curt, our first son. We hadn’t been able to pay hardly anything to the doctor and had no medical insurance to cover the hospital. I had nearly miscarried and the medication I was taking to keep from losing our firstborn was extremely expensive. Our car was broken down, so we took buses to work.

Ron worked at a car dealership in the parts room and I taught preschool. Our gross income was $250 per month. After state and federal income taxes and a tithe of $25, we had $175 left to live on.

Ron has always prayed with the complete trust that the Lord would provide. I easily became anxious and worried. During that time we experienced the Lord’s faithful provision in marvelous ways. We owned our own home, an old 31-foot trailer and lived in a trailer park. Our neighbors, the Millers, were as poor as we were. He was attending Bible college, and they often went to see their parents and brought back fresh food from their farms that they shared with us.

I was also able to eat a hot noon meal, which was like a Thanksgiving feast, at the preschool where I worked, which I needed as an expectant mother. We couldn’t have afforded such delicious meals. The father and son pastors of the church and preschool were hunters, and so the children and staff had wild deer and elk meat and salmon fresh from the Columbia River. I also suffered from evening sickness with my pregnancy and couldn't eat much, but we had enough to fix a meal for Ron. 

It was an extra cold winter and butane gas heated our trailer. As each freezing month passed, we kept thinking we’d soon be out of heat. We didn’t have the money to buy another tank of gas and kept praying for the Lord’s provision.

The butane tank should have been refilled a couple times, but we did not have to fill it because the fuel never ran out that entire winter. This provision of the Lord was a miracle to us and reminded us of the story of Elijah and the widow.

She was preparing what she thought was her last meal certain that she and her son would die. God sent Elijah who asked her to make a cake of bread for him and then make some for herself and her son. Elijah told her that the jar of flour would not be used up and the jug of oil would not run dry until the famine ended, which happened as the Lord had promised (1 Kings 17:12-16).

A couple months before Curt was due, we had a borrowed bassinet but very few clothes and necessities. A missionary friend in Alaska surprised us by sending a big box of baby clothes her child had outgrown. Friends and family from California had a baby shower for us. But we still had no idea how we would pay for our baby’s birth. I was feeling desperate but kept praying.

One Saturday afternoon a life insurance man came to our door to see why we hadn’t paid on Ron’s policy. We explained why and to our joy, he told us we could cash in the policy. We received  enough to pay part of the medical bills.

Soon after, the Lord provided the remaining amount needed to pay the doctor and hospital bills in an unexpected way through the owner of the company where Ron worked. Ron had not shared our need with him, but the Lord who heard us in secret provided openly right before the birth of our son. 


Ron also found a 1941 Ford for $18 and kept it running by pouring egg-preserver in the cracked engine block; the car had no heat and bounced like a buckboard, and I was sure it would induce labor. 


We had prayed for a baby for four years before Curt was born and nearly lost him while I was pregnant, but God heard this mother's cry and preserved Curt's life.  We were overjoyed when he was born and we loved him dearly and are grateful and blessed and proud of him. 

Shortly, after Curt was born, we sold our tiny trailer and rented a fully furnished home and bought a better car. He is a faithful God, and we praise Him for His  provision all these years as we approach our 53rd wedding anniversary. 

Our part is to ask the Lord to provide our basic needs and His part is to meet our needs, but with one condition that He receive all the glory. Dr. John Piper said, “Here is a great discovery. We do not glorify God by providing his needs, but by praying that he would provide ours — and trusting him to answer.” (Piper, Desiring God: 140.)


"You can be sure that God will take care of everything you need, his generosity exceeding even yours in the glory that pours from Jesus. Our God and Father abounds in glory that just pours out into eternity. Yes" (Philippians 4:19-20, (The Message).

May Your Will Be Done

May your will be done here on earth, just as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10 nlt). “Our truest happiness is perfect submission to God’s will, and it is the purest love to pray that all mankind may know it, obey it and submit to it.” (Ryle, Matthew, 40.)

Why should we request that God’s will be done since everything He planned will be done? “My word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it” (Isa. 55:1).

“The will of God is the glory of heaven, doing His will brings the blessedness of heaven. As the will is done, the Kingdom of heaven comes into the heart. And wherever faith has accepted the Father’s love, obedience accepts the Father’s will. The surrender to, and the prayer for, a life of heaven-like obedience is the spirit of childlike prayer.” (Murray, With Christ in the School of Prayer,  34.)

We also pray to know God’s will because how else can He reveal it to us? If we don’t ask, how can we see what He is accomplishing in the world as His Word tells us? He reveals His plans and purposes through Scripture.

Reading and learning His Word is an essential part of our prayer-life for through it God speaks to us.  Listening to Scripture is prayer.

We also need to know the Lord’s will for our own lives. That’s a daily request; it’s not reserved for a special calling to the ministry or serving in church. What is God’s will for me today? If we ask this question and follow the Lord’s guidance everyday we’ll do what He desires over a lifetime.

I’ve been struggling with God’s will in my own life, daily not doing the things I know I should be doing. I know what the Lord desires of me, but I’m not consistent in doing it. I have been having devotions one day then two or three days skipping them. I feel spiritually empty.

Our life has been so fragmented that I haven’t been maintaining a writing schedule, which I should be doing.  The following was written more than ten years ago,  but our life is still about the same, along with the added exhausting joy of helping raise our three young grand-girls. 


It’s January and in the first fifteen days of this New Year, our sinks in one bathroom had been leaking and towels and lots of other things were mildewed or ruined. It was a time-consuming mess.

I’ve spent a couple days waiting while the car was repaired. Christmas decorations are still piled on the table. Plus we’ve had hours of doctor’s appointments. I am anxious about Ron’s two-hour eye operation that was suddenly scheduled for tomorrow.

 I carry most of the responsibilities since Ron became legally blind more than a year ago, which I am grateful to be able to do. But all the ordinary tasks and unexpected problems that are a part of life make concentrating on writing books difficult. I’m a slow writer, and it is hard work for me.

Besides I’m sixties, and isn’t it time to retire? Yet I know Christians who are sacrificially serving the Lord in their eighties.

Yesterday I was praying about my frustrations and failures. I finally took time to have devotions, which the Lord was strongly convicting me to do. As I was talking to the Lord, I was torn between being obedient to His desires while not wanting to do His will even in some of the most basic things. I wanted to be free to do as I pleased.

The devotional was about the Apostle Paul, who served the Lord with gladness but had terrible hardships I’ve never experienced. Wouldn’t you know the Lord always has a way of making me put things in perspective?

Five times Paul was nearly whipped to death, three times beaten by rods, stoned once, three times shipwrecked, spent a night and a day in the open sea, was in constant danger, went without sleep and food and water, was cold and naked, besides daily feeling the pressure of his concern for churches under his care (2 Cor. 11:24-29). 

So what did I have to complain about? Then this verse said, “‘Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of me and what I will show you’” (Acts 26:16).

Then I read how we often blame our trials on Satan’s attacks, not willing to admit that we are being disciplined by our Father. “What is often mistaken as Satan’s attack may actually be chastisement from our loving Father.  . . . “God is disciplining you in order to gain your attention  and bring necessary change to your life. How tragic never to make the connection between your problems and God’s discipline.” (Blackaby, Experiencing God Day-by-Day, Jan. 14, 14.)

My first thoughts were of someone else who needed to hear this rebuke, but God quickly reminded me that He was speaking to me.

“Only the power of God can free us from our natural self-centeredness and reorient us toward the mission of God.” (Blackaby, Experiencing God Day-by-Day, Jan. 15, 15.)

“Not every hardship you face is the chastisement of God, but Scripture indicates that God will discipline you. . . God, whose nature is perfect love, will correct you because He has your ultimate good in His heart.”  (Blackaby, Experiencing God Day-by-Day, Jan. 14, 14.)

What I read was not what I wanted to hear. I wanted the Lord’s sympathy, but His rebuke is what I needed. I asked the Lord to show me His will and He clearly answered in a simple, straightforward way. I assure you that the peace and joy of gladly doing His will is far better with the inner tension and troubled spirit that I struggle with when I don’t do as He desires.

May Your Name be Honored

“May your name be honored” (Matt. 6:9 nlt). We’re to pray with an attitude of loving respect for our Father’s holy and awesome name (Ps. 103:1). We are in the presence of our Father, whose name is mighty in power and equally as great in love and compassion (Jer. 10:6).

“By the ‘name’ of God we mean all those attributes through which he is revealed to us—his power, wisdom, holiness, justice, mercy and truth.” (Ryle, Matthew,  39)

We will never be ashamed of the Lord as some are of their earthly father. Our own fathers may have a bad name due to a poor reputation, may be uncaring and irresponsible, and break their promises.

God our Father is in no way like that. “The Lord is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made” (Ps. 145:13b). We are secure in Him for He is loving, responsible, and totally trustworthy. “Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you” (Ps. 9:10).   

Above all Jesus desires that we give glory to His Father’s name just as He did, “‘Father, glorify your name’” (John 12:28)! When we honor our Father’s name in our prayers and by our godly life, we are glorifying Him.

“In true worship the Father must be first and He must be everything. The sooner we learn to forget ourselves so that He may be glorified, the richer our own blessing in prayer will be.” (Murray, With Christ in the School of Prayer,  32.)


May Your Kingdom Come Soon

When we pray, “May your Kingdom come soon,” we are asking our Father to fulfill His plans for this world, which is people coming to faith in His Son, Jesus Christ our Savior (Matt. 6:10 nlt). “By his kingdom, we mean, first, the kingdom of grace which God sets up and maintains in the hearts of all living members of Christ by his Spirit and Word. . . .” (Ryle, Matthew, 40)

“The coming of the Kingdom is the one great event on which the revelation of the Father’s glory, the blessedness of His children, and the salvation of the world depend.” (Murray, With Christ in the School of Prayer,  33.)

A Cup of Cold Water

Sunday, I had an unusual faith-testing experience. In many ways it was a trivial trial, certainly nothing to be overly upset about. I confess that I was anxious and stressed about what happened. At the same time, I realized that God was teaching me about His Sovereign relationship with us and what He chooses to bring into our lives that we might serve others and in so doing serve Him. 

Sunday evening Ron wanted to go to church extra early as he was singing a solo that night. He was upset and wound up and certain we weren’t going to make it on time. As it was we waited outside the church for fifteen minutes until the doors were opened.

When I went to start my car to move it out of the driveway, it wouldn’t turn over. Two of the men who arrived early, pushed the car out of the fire lane and into a parking spot. I mentioned I would need help getting the car started after services. Now there is nothing I hate more than being stuck with a broken car. It unnerves me.

I went into the auditorium, where Ron was practicing and sat on the front pew next to a developmentally disabled man. He said his name was Chuck (not his real name) and began to tell me about the church and how he had belonged to it for years. He told me he had taken the bus to church, and then asked, “Can you take me home?”

I replied, “My car is broken down, but I will be glad to find a ride for you.”

Because I was feeling anxious about the car, wondering if it would be an alternator or starter or battery and not knowing if a battery jump would work or if the car would have to be towed, I felt it was best for me to help Chuck find a ride rather than take him home. It was going to be difficult enough for Ron who becomes disoriented  and upset when he is out of his comfort zone and thrust into unfamiliar situations.

As we waited for the evening service to start, Chuck continued to mention every few moments that he needed a ride home, and I kept reassuring him I would make sure he got one. But he wasn’t convinced because he could see that I was anxious and uncertain.

After the service we waited at the front of the church, thinking that one of the men would help us, but they left. Then I mentioned our need to a staff member who said he would get help for all of us.

I asked a couple if they could take Chuck home, but they said they were going shopping. My first thought was, Why couldn’t they take him home and then go shopping?

Ron, Chuck, and I left the auditorium and waited in the hallway for help but no one came. Chuck didn’t look directly at me but spoke to the air saying, “There are no more buses coming, and it’s dark.”

I again promised him, we would make sure he got a ride home.  I was feeling overwhelmed by two needs I could not take care of without help. I don’t remember praying at all, but God was fully aware of my concerns.

By then I thought about calling a towing service, but I don’t have a working cell phone. I started to see if I could find a phone when the staff person saw me and realized we had not gotten the help we needed.  He came and said someone was outside ready to get our car started, and he would make sure Chuck got a ride home. Our car started and we were able to get home. It turned out that our car needed a new battery.

What did I learn from this unnerving experience? 

First, one of the major things God is teaching me is that serving Him is an everyday experience, an every moment exercise. I must be open and aware when He charges into my life and presents me with a divine appointment to serve others. These moments usually come crashing in as unwanted intrusions. They are the last problem I want to deal with, because I was most likely right in the middle of taking care of some duty and have so many other pressures to handle. Nonetheless, God calls me to respond, Now.

Second, God presents people needs to us when we least expect it, and we need to be willing to shift gears to help and not lock into our own agenda.

Third, we need to change our attitude and mindset. If we act like the person is intruding on us and that we really don’t want to help, we only make the person feel humiliated and small and that we don’t care. It was the reaction of Job’s friends to his losses and needs that increased his pain to an intolerable level. No one should have to feel ashamed that he/she needs help. We need to feel reassured and loved and cared for.

Fourth, we need to reach out to those who are vulnerable, whose lives may be difficult, who need that extra mile of giving from us, and extra assurance that we care and will follow through to help or get needed help even if it is inconvenient and when we cannot do it and need to ask others to help.

Finally, this is the least of reasons for giving, but it is a reminder of Jesus call to serve. “If you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers, you will surely be rewarded”
(Matthew 10:42 NLT).

Scriptures to Ponder from The Message

 Deuteronomy 15:7-11  “When you happen on someone who's in trouble or needs help among your people with whom you live in this land that God, your God, is giving you, don't look the other way pretending you don't see him. Don't keep a tight grip on your purse. No. Look at him, open your purse, lend whatever and as much as he needs. Don't count the cost. Don't listen to that selfish voice . . . and turn aside and leave your needy neighbor in the lurch, refusing to help him. He'll call God's attention to you and your blatant sin. Give freely and spontaneously. Don't have a stingy heart. The way you handle matters like this triggers God, your God's, blessing in everything you do, all your work and ventures. There are always going to be poor and needy people among you. So I command you: Always be generous, open purse and hands, give to your neighbors in trouble, your poor and hurting neighbors.”

Luke 6:31-34"Here is a simple rule of thumb for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you; then grab the initiative and do it for them! If you only love the lovable, do you expect a pat on the back? Run-of-the-mill sinners do that. If you only help those who help you, do you expect a medal? Garden-variety sinners do that. If you only give for what you hope to get out of it, do you think that's charity? The stingiest of pawnbrokers does that.”

1 Timothy 6:17-19 “Tell those rich in this world's wealth to quit being so full of themselves and so obsessed with money, which is here today and gone tomorrow. Tell them to go after God, who piles on all the riches we could ever manage—to do good, to be rich in helping others, to be extravagantly generous. If they do that, they'll build a treasury that will last, gaining life that is truly life.”

A Simple Answered Prayer

Yesterday, the Lord answered a simple prayer. It had been raining most of the morning and along with the wind, it was a chilly Santa Maria day.  I got up at  6:30 am, showered and dressed, then went to help get my grand-girls off to school, urging them to dress, eat, brush their teeth, comb their hair, and get their backpacks and lunches. It's always a race against the clock with me urging the girls to get moving while they move at a poky pace.

I got Sierra out the door to catch her ride and watched the other two girls until right before 10 a.m. when I  took Sadie to Kindergarten and Delaney to preschool and then went to a doctor's appointment. I was done by 11 a.m. and ready for a nap. Grandma's need them.

I sat in the car for a few minutes and read, which is my respite from the insistent needs of Ron and the girls and the phone and all the other tasks that call my name. It started to pour, a pounding rain that thundered and rattled, so I thought I better get home. I put my key in the ignition, but my car would not start. I waited and tried and it would not start. I panicked when the car didn't start after several tries.  I didn't have a working cell phone, so it meant I needed to go back to the doctor's office and use their phone, which I did.

I was told it would be a thirty minute wait for an Automobile Club tow truck. I've been stuck with a broken car many times, and the wait had been that long if not longer. I had eaten a piece of toast for breakfast, but I am a diabetic, and I was starting to have a low blood sugar attack. There was no place to eat close by; besides it was pouring rain. If the car had to be towed to the mechanic, how could I pick up the girls at school? I was fearful about the cost of car repairs. Our bank account was already broken. I was playing the "anxious" game in my mind; I am a winner when it comes to worry at times like that. Finally, I simply prayed for the Lord's help. It was a quick cry of the heart.

Within a few minutes, the tow truck arrived in the thundering rain. The driver reminded me that my car lights were on, which I had forgotten. The car has this annoying habit of not turning off the lights when you turn off the ignition. The battery needed charging, and so did my faith. Within five minutes I was on my way relieved that the car was fine and grateful that God had heard and responded to my simple prayer.